The only thing that I could tell from the wikipedia article about the 2010 cup is that South Africa will be in Group A, presumably because they’re the host nation. This leads me to believe that the 31 remaining slots have yet to be filled.
Can someone give me a somewhat concise explanation of the qualifying process, when it (the qualifying process) begins (if it hasn’t already begun, that is), where things stand in the process, and whether or not the US has a legitimate shot of making it.
Short answer is ‘very likely yes’. Qualification for the 2010 World Cup starts in the autumn, and is decided by group matches (i.e. you play everyone in your group). Group matches are split by regions. Because Europe has so many national teams, there are several groups in Europe fighting for qualification, and competition is very fierce, with the result that some very good teams can/will fail to qualify.
However, the US, luckily, is in a region of the world where there is far less competition and so has normally has a relatively easy ride through the group qualification stage into the main event.
The US, as one of the strongest teams in the CONCACAF confederation, is likely to be one of the three or four qualifiers from that region. Last time the US failed to qualify was 1986.
Qualification has already started. The US won their first match 8-0. It’s a fairly long process and convoluted. CONCACAF probably gets too many spots for the WC, and since only Mexico and the US are any good they should make it.
Even that is overrated. The World Cup should be restricted to Europe, Africa and Latin America. Or, at any rate, they should design a a-tier/b-tier system like they have in hockey.
That’s because they usually end up as group heads and have a relatively easy group stage. And they end up as group heads because their fifa rankings are inflated because it’s based on all the matches they win in the, again, relatively easy qualification stages.
This is possibly the worst idea I’ve ever heard and I’ve had people try to convince me to do shots of Tabasco. That would make it just as bad as calling the NBA champions world champions.
There is already a qualification process. UEFA and CONMEBOL get the most teams in the competition anyway so it’s already geared towards Europe and South America. I think CONCACAF should probably get 2.5 slots instead of the current 3.5, but that’s totally different than what you’re saying. Also, what has Africa ever done that warrants them being included in that group? Mexico has a much better track record than any African nation.